Expression mechanism for pianolas or other musical instruments.



No. 744,227. PATENTED NOV. 17, 1903. R. W. PAIN. EXPRESSION MECHANISMFOR PIANOLAS OR OTHER MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 17. 1903.

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N0 MODEL.

WITNESSES: a- Z. o'flm'w No. 744,227. Patented November 17', 1903.

UNTTED STATES PATENT EEicE.

ROBERT WILLIARD PAIN, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO THE AEOLIANCOMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF CONNECTICUT.

EXPRESSION MECHANISM FOR PIANOLAS OR OTHER MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

eSPEUIFIGl-ZLTION forming part of Letters Patent No. 744,227, datedNovember 17', 1903.

Application filed July 17, 1903. Serial No. 165.910. (No model.)

T M 1117101171 it y COYZOWW H is the secondary valve-rod normally heldBe it known that LROBERT \VILLIARD PAIN, in the position shown by thespring .l, so as of New York city, State of New York, (postto close theleft -hand valve Q, and to open office address rEolian Hall, 362 Fifthavethe right-hand valve L,which admits atmos- 5 nue, New York city,)have invented certain pheric pressure to the exhaust-port M of the newand useful Improvements in Expression operatingpneumatic I It will benoticed Mechanism for Pianolas or other Musical Inthat the valves Q andL are in separate chamstruments, of which the following is a specibers,divided by the partition R. The ob jeet lication, accompanied bydrawings. of this partition is to separate the passages 1o Theinventionrelates particularly to means which admit the actuating tension or windfor tempering or giving expression to the acto the pneumatic from theexhaust-passages tion of the actuating-pneumatics that operand port M,by which atmospheric air is adate the strikers in keyboard playinginstrumitted to the pneumatic P after the notehas ments, such as thepianola and other wellbeen played. I 5 known piano-players. S is theusual secondary valve-pneumatic The present invention contemplates thefor operating the valves Q and L, T being softening of the action of thestrikers by oneof the tension-chambers of thewind-chest, throttling thewind,whether tension or comas will be well understood. A. valve U ispression, which actuates the striking-pneuprovided, which in the formshown in Figs. 2o matie without at the same time interfering 1 and 2 isa slide-valve having openings with the exhaust and restoration of thepneuthrough it which register with the actuatingmatic to its normalcondition after playing a port of the pneumatic P, so that by partlynote. closing the valve U the rapidity with which The nature of theinvention will be clearly the pneumatic will act will be decreased and25 understood from the preferred embodiment the striker operated moregently to give soft of it shown in the accompanying drawings. expressionto the music. This slide-valve is Figure 1 is a diagrammatic view,partly in actuated by a lever V and a handle \V or in section, showingone of the operating or strikany other desired way, and preferably it ising pneumatics, the valves that control it, manually and notautomatically controlled. 8o 30 and its connection with a striker orstriking- Instead of a slide-valve any other form of lever for actuatinga piano-key. Fig. 2 is a valve may be used-as, for example, therodetailed section showing the slide-valve for tary valve U in Figs. 3and 3, shown in two modifying the expression by throttling the differentpositions. actuating-wind and showing connections for The operation ofthe device is as follows: 35 actuating the slide-valve and the relationof lVhen the tracker-passage E admits air to the slide to five of thepneumatics. Figs. 3 and raises the primary pneumatic-valves, and and 3are diagrams showing a rotary valve thereby admits atmospheric air tothe pasin two different positions, such rotary valve sage G, thesecondary pneumatic S, with its being capable of being employed in placeof valves Q and L, is forced to the right, open- 40 the slide-valve. ingvalve Q,and thereby connecting the pneu- The details of the piano keysB, strikers matic P with suction through the opening in orstriking-levers C, connecting-rod D, and the slide-valve U. If the valveU is nearly tracker-board connection E are of no parclosed, thepneumatic P will operate proporticular interest and therefore need notbe detionally slowly and cause a gentle blow upon 5 45 scribed. thepiano-key, while if it is wide open it will At F is the usual primarypneumatic valveallow the pneumatic to act with its maximum rod, carryingtwo valves and operated by a rapidity. As soon,however, asthe keyis tobepneumatic -diaphragm to admit either sucraised, or, in other words, assoon as the attion or atmospheric pressure in the passage mosphericpressure is cut off from beneath 50 G. Such primary pneumatic thoughdesirthe primary pneumatic, allowing the valves able is of course notabsolutely necessary. F to drop, the spring J again forces the valve Qshut and opens the valve L, Which permits the atmosphere to rush throughthe valve L and the unimpeded exhaust-port M into the pneumatic I toexpand the pneumatic. It will, therefore be seen that While the valve Ucontrols the [low of actuating vind for causing the striking it does notin anyway affect the exhaust-port M nor influence the rapidity withwhich the pneumatic can be restored to its normal position after playinga note.

It will be understood that tension-operated pneumatics andpressure-operated pneumatics are Well-known equivalents, although I haveonly described the apparatus as operated by tension.

hat I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is the following:

1. In combination with an actuating-pneumatic for musical apparatus andawind-ehest and valve-controlled connections for connectinganddisconnecting the wind-chest with the said actuatingpneumatic, of aseparate set of valve-controlled connections for conneetin g anddisconnecting the said pneumatic with the atmosphere and means forvarying the striking action to give various expressions, independentlyof the return action of the pneumatic, for substantially the purposesset forth.

2. In combination with a striking-pneumatic, pneumatic-valves forcontrolling the actuating-Wind and the return Wind, of a dividedvalve-chamber for the said respective valves provided with a partitionseparating the valve that controls the actuating-wind from the valvethat controls the return Wind, and means for varying the llow of theactuating-wind for varying the expression, independently of the returnWind, for substantially the purposes set forth.

In combination with an actuating-pneu matie, of actuating Windconnections and a valve controlling said connections, atmosphericconnections and the valve for controlling said atmospl LOIIOconnections, said valves being located in separate chambers, and acontrol-valve and operating connections that are independent of thestriking-pneumatic for controlling the freedom of passage through thefirst said valve only, independentlyof the return Wind for substantiallythe purposes set forth.

4:. The combination with a striking-pneumatic and pneumatic-valves andvalve-openings for the actuating-wind and for the return \vindrespectively, of a partition separating the valve-chambers of the saidvalve and a tln'ottling-valve with actuating connections independent ofthe strikhig-pneumatic for controlling the freedom ofpassage through theactuating-wind-valve chamber independently of the return Wind, forsubstantially the purposes set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence oftwo subscribing Witnesses.

ROBERT \VILIJARII) PAIN.

\Vitnesses:

E. O. THOMPSON, \V. O. Mmsurjnno.

